Will wearing an eyepatch for 8 to 12 hours a day on a good eye cause any long-term damage to the eye?

MAR 15, 2018

Question:

Will wearing an eyepatch for 8 to 12 hours a day on a good eye cause any long-term damage to the eye?

Answer:

Patching of the better eye is a common treatment for amblyopia. It is uncommon for patching to reduce vision in the covered eye, but it can happen. Usually this only occurs in children under the age of 7. That is an important reason for continued follow-up with your ophthalmologist to make sure there is no harm. In the unlikely event that over patching does occur, the good news is that the vision nearly always recovers when you stop patching the eye.